The present invention relates to image processing of a two dimensional (2D) image plus depth (e.g. for purposes of stereo picture emulation, etc.), and more particularly, to a method for performing depth information management in an electronic device, an associated apparatus, and an associated computer program product.
A conventional electronic device that is equipped with or coupled to at least one camera module, such as a conventional multifunctional mobile phone, may be designed to take a picture and to store the corresponding depth information. The conventional electronic device may be further designed to allow the end user to modify the picture (e.g. apply a special effect to the picture) to generate a resultant picture. However, some problems such as some side effects may occur. For example, according to the related art, the depth information is not modified and therefore does not match the resultant picture. Then the depth information is discarded after the special effect is applied to the picture since it does not match the resultant picture. As a result of the absence of the depth information, the conventional electronic device may be further designed to prevent the end user from applying another special effect to the resultant picture, in order to prevent an erroneous or meaningless processing result of the special effect processing. Thus, a novel method and a corresponding architecture are required to improve the performance of an electronic device that is equipped with or coupled to camera module(s).